Summit Song' Sparks Interest Among Soviets Peace Plea Was Born In Valley

November 18, 1985|The Morning Call

The Soviet news agency Tass is among 10 or 12 news organizationsand networks that have asked for the lyrics of "2-4-1, The Summit Song," which was to be broadcast to Russia last night over Voice of America.

The words to the song, which was born a few weeks ago in the Lehigh Valley, are to be transmitted to Tass from Geneva, Switzerland, by Barry Childers, representing the City of Peace musical group, and the Rev. Robert Susa of Pax Christi, a Catholic group that was the first organization to endorse the song, Gale Siess said last night.

Siess is director of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of Action for Nuclear Disarmament.

She said the "Summit Song" will be played at a World Council of Churches vigil in Geneva attended by American and Russian peace delegations and legislators from all over the world.

In the United States the "Summit Song" will be heard as part of vigil services tomorrow in 21 states and 38 cities by numerous peace groups, Siess said.

The rallies will coincide with the summit meetings between President Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet leader.

In the Lehigh Valley there will be simultaneous outdoor ecumenical vigil services in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton starting tomorrow at 7 p.m.

In case of rain, participants should go to the churches involved in each vigil, Siess said.

In Allentown there will be a gathering at the Lehigh County Courthouse, followed by a candlelight march to St. John's United Church of Christ at 6th and Walnut streets.

In Bethlehem the vigil will begin at Center City Plaza and proceed to the Old Chapel behind the Central Moravian Church.

In Easton the marchers will gather at Center Square and walk to the Trinity Episcopal Church at 232 Spring Garden St.

"2-4-1" was written, recorded and performed less than a month ago by City of Peace, a group formed by Lehigh Valley musicians.

The lyrics were written by Jim Punkre, the music by Mike Krisukas and Jim Scott.

The song urges cooperation between the superpower leaders and an end to the nuclear arms race.

The theme is "Best Wishes for the Summit," and in addition to cassette copies, the group has made a video that is available to television stations and networks and an audiogram of "street interviews" that is available to radio stations.

Some of the words to the song are:

Can you feel the countdown?

The time is drawing near

To sum up an agreement

To count on trust instead of fear.

And since you're talking numbers

We've done some counting, too

Oh, our recommendations for our two nations

We're summing it up for you.

2 4 1 (one people)

2 4 1 and counting

We're counting on you

2 4 1 (all the world is watching)

Counting on you to make peace come true.

Members of the City of Peace group, including the Rev. Lorenzo Hall and Scott, are expected to lead the singing of "The Summit Song" at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at a vigil at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York City.

A candlelight procession to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations will follow.

Hall, of the Grace Deliverance Baptist Church of Bethlehem, will direct the singing in New York and be accompanied by members of his church's choir.

Keynote speaker will be Donald Shriver, president of the Union Theological Seminary.

The rally will be sponsored by six peace groups: New York SANE, Downstate New York's Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze, Women Strike for Peace, Women's International League for Peace and Justice, Greenwich Village Coalition for Peace and West Side Action.

Siess said that on Saturday night Punkre was interviewed on CBS News, which focused on "The Summit Song" and showed Lehigh Valley scenes as part of a program previewing the summit talks.

The song was scheduled to be aired and discussed last night on ABC radio, which has 2,000 affiliates, and at yesterday's national conference of the National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign in Chicago.